Rivet for fixing a diamond to a garment

ABSTRACT

A garment fastening system has a male rivet and a female rivet. The male rivet is has a wide head and an elongated shaft with a widened mating ledge. The male rivet further has a through-hole extending at least partially through the head and/or shaft. A gemstone is received in the through-hole and is permanently coupled to the male rivet. The female rivet has a smooth domed outer side and an inner side with inwardly-facing tab portions defining a central opening. The male and female rivets are connected to a garment having an opening. The opening is sized and shaped to snugly receive the shaft of the male rivet from the garment outside. The widened mating ledge of the male rivet engages the tab portions of the female rivet to permanently lock the male rivet (and gemstone) to the female rivet and the garment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a fastener for affixing a gemstone to aclothing garment. More particularly, the present invention relates to arivet having a male rivet portion that receives a diamond and engages afemale rivet portion to provide a permanent connection to a clothinggarment.

2. Background of the Related Art

Diamonds are generally cut to form three sections: pavilion, girdle andcrown. The pavilion is the lower half of the diamond below the girdle.The sides of the pavilion are formed at an angle and come to a point.The inside faces of the pavilion sides reflect light up through thecrown. The girdle is the middle of the stone and is the widest point ofthe stone that defines the diameter of the stone. The crown is the tophalf of the stone above the girdle. The total depth of the stone isdefined as the distance from the top of the crown to the bottom point ofthe pavilion.

Diamonds have been fixed to rings and other jewelry items. Care must betaken to ensure that the diamond is firmly affixed to the jewelrysetting so that the diamond does not come free from the setting. Inaddition, the jewelry must also be properly fitted so that the jewelrydoes not come free from the wearer. Because diamonds are very valuable,they are typically not affixed to items that are subject to roughhandling. Diamonds have a large total depth due to the size of thepavilion, and have a shape that can be awkward to affix to jewelry.Diamonds are typically fixed to a jewelry item such as a necklace, ringor stud and directly attached to the wearer such as around the neck orwrist, finger, or in the ear, respectively.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a reliable andpermanent connection for a diamond to be fixed to items that are subjectto rugged conditions and especially a clothing garment. It is anotherobject of the invention to provide a reliable and permanent connectionfor a diamond to be fixed to items that are worn but not directlyattached to a person. It is another object of the invention to provide adiamond fastener that is comfortable to wear. It is yet another objectof the invention to provide a rivet that permanently receives a diamond,is permanently affixed to a clothing garment, is attractive and iscomfortable to wear.

In accordance with these and other objectives, a garment fasteningsystem is provided. A male rivet is provided that has a wide head and anelongated shaft extending substantially orthogonally to the wide head.The shaft has a beveled distal end with a widened mating ledge. Thebeveled distal end is beveled inwardly from the widened mating ledge toform a narrow leading end of the shaft. The male rivet further has athrough-hole extending at least partially through the head and/or shaft.The through-hole includes an angled support shelf at a top end of themale rivet head.

A gemstone is received in the through-hole at the support shelf and ispermanently coupled to the male rivet. A female rivet is also providedhaving a smooth domed outer side and an inner side havinginwardly-facing tab portions defining a central opening. The male andfemale rivets are connected to a garment having an inside, an outside,and a reinforced opening. The opening is sized and shaped to snuglyreceive the shaft of the male rivet from the garment outside. The femalerivet mates with the shaft at the inside of the garment. The shaft isreceived in the central opening of the female rivet whereby the widenedmating ledge of the male rivet engages the tab portions of the femalerivet to permanently lock the male rivet (and gemstone) to the femalerivet and the garment.

These and other objects of the invention, as well as many of theintended advantages thereof, will become more readily apparent whenreference is made to the following description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1( a) is a perspective view of the diamond fastening system inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention viewed fromthe outside of a garment;

FIG. 1( b) is a perspective view of the diamond fastening system showingthe inside of the garment;

FIG. 2 is an exploded side view of the rivet and diamond;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the male rivet portion before the diamondis received;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the male rivet portion with the diamondreceived;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the female rivet portion; and

FIG. 6 is a side view of the assembled diamond fastening system with therivet affixed to a garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In describing a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in thedrawings, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake ofclarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to thespecific terms so selected, and it is to be understood that eachspecific term includes all technical equivalents that operate in similarmanner to accomplish a similar purpose. Several preferred embodiments ofthe invention are described for illustrative purposes, it beingunderstood that the invention may be embodied in other forms notspecifically shown in the drawings.

Turning to the drawings, FIGS. 1( a) and 1(b) show the fastening system5 of the present invention. The fastening system 5 primarily includes agarment 10 and a fastener 20, which is preferably a two-piece rivet. Asshown, the fastening system 5 is configured to affix a precious gemstonesuch as a diamond, to an article such as a garment 10 and preferably awomen's thong panty. The fastener 20 is preferably fixed at the top rearof the garment 10, at about the center of the waistband. The waistbandis sufficient sturdy and durable to provide a reliable connection withthe fastener 20, and is not very susceptible to being ripped, torn, cutor broken. For instance, the waistband can be elastic or can be made ofmore durable or thicker material. However, any suitable garment 10 canbe utilized, such as a blouse, jeans, hat or gloves, and one or morefasteners 20 can be affixed to the garment 10 at any suitable location;though preferably the fastener 20 is affixed at a portion of the garment10 that is durable and not very susceptible to being ripped, torn, cutor broken.

Turning to FIG. 2, the details of the fastener 20 are shown. Thefastener 20 includes a male rivet portion 30 and a female rivet portion60. The male rivet portion 30 has a general T-shape with a large head 32and a narrower elongated shaft 38. The head 32 is round and has a topsurface 33 and a bottom surface 36. The top surface 33 extends upwardtoward the center of the head 32, so that the top surface 33 forms anacute angle with respect to the bottom surface 36 to create a circularpyramid-like shape with a flat top. A number of flat facet faces 34 arecreated on the top surface 33 of the head 32. The facets 34 surround adiamond 7 that is located in the center of the head 32. The facets 34are formed by cutting or pressing into the top surface of the head 32.The facets 34 form a mirror-like surface, and for instance can be formedat angles to create triangular ridges. The facets 34 complement theshape and reflections of the diamond 7 and create an appearance of alarger diamond 7. Once the facets 34 are formed, the top surface 33 canthen be polished. It will be apparent however, that the head 32 need nothave a pyramid shape top surface 33, but for instance the head 32 can berelatively flat on top and bottom with the top surface 33 substantiallyparallel to the bottom surface 36.

The elongated shaft 38 has a cylindrical shape with a circularcross-section. The shaft 38 extends downward from the head 32 and issubstantially perpendicular to the head 32, which is preferablycircular. The shaft 38 is formed integrally with the head 32, and has adistal end 44. A mating or locking ledge 42 is located toward the distalend 44 of the shaft 38. The locking ledge 42 projects outward from theshaft 38, then the distal end 44 is tapered inward from the lockingledge 42 to provide a narrow leading end 43 of the shaft 38.

Turning to FIG. 3, a central bore or through-hole 46 is provided at thecenter of the head 32. As best shown in FIG. 6, the through-hole 46extends all the way through the head 32 and the shaft 38. However, thethrough-hole 46 need not extend all the way through the head 32 andshaft 38, but only a distance sufficient to receive the gemstone 7.Thus, for instance, the shaft 38 can be hollow (as shown) or solid witha small opening drilled to receive the diamond 7. Or, the through-hole46 can extend only partially through the head 32 and not into the shaft38.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the top portion of the through-hole 46 iswidened outward at an angle to form a beveled support shelf 48 at thetop of the through-hole 46. The support shelf 48 is formed at an anglewith respect to the through-hole 46, so that the shelf 48 is smaller atits bottom (in the embodiments shown) and larger at the top surface 33of the head 32 of the male rivet portion 30. As illustrated in FIG. 6,the angle of the support shelf 48 matches the angle of the side walls ofthe diamond 7 pavilion. Accordingly, the diamond 7 can be received inthe through-hole 46 and at least the top portion of the diamond 7pavilion can come to rest against the support shelf 48. The diameter ofthe through-hole 46 is smaller than the diameter of the diamond 7, sothat the diamond 7 is retained on the support shelf 48 without fallingthrough the through-hole 46.

As also shown in FIG. 6, the female rivet portion 60 has a housing 62and an insert 70. The housing 62 forms an outer side 64 (which facesaway from the male rivet 30) and a relatively flat inner side 66 (whichfaces toward the male rivet 30) that defines an inside space. The outerside 64 is rounded and forms a circular shape, and is curved inward atthe outer circumference to form an inwardly turned lip 68. The insert 70is provided in the inside space of the housing 62 and is shaped andsized to fit under the lip 68 of the housing 62.

Turning to FIG. 5, the insert 70, as well as the inner side 66 andinside space of the housing 62, is shown in further detail. The insert70 has a curved section which rests up against the curved lip 68. Thecurved lip 68 permanently retains the insert 70 within the inside spaceof the housing 62. The curved section leads into a relatively flatportion that forms a ledge 72 at the outermost section of the inner side66. The flat ledge 72 leads into the tabs 74, which are formed at theinside end of the flat ledge 72. The tabs 74 are angled downward (i.e.,into the page in the embodiment of FIG. 5) away from the garment 10 andtoward the back side of the dome 64 at the inside space. The tabs 74extend inwardly (i.e., toward the center of the housing 62) into theinside space at the inner side 66 of the female rivet 60. The tabs 74only extend partially downward and inward to leave sufficient space toreceive the shaft 38 and mating ledge 42.

The tabs 74 have an extreme distal end that forms a mating face 76. Themating faces 76 define a circular central opening 78 at the center ofthe inside space of the inner side 66 of the female rivet 60. The tabs74 are separated by slots 79 and the insert 70 is relatively thin, whichtogether provides a small amount of flexibility to the rigid metal tabs66. The slots 79 and tab thickness allow the tabs 74 to bend slightly sothat the male rivet portion 30 can be received in the opening 78, aswill be discussed below.

In operation, the male rivet portion 30 is formed from a hard metal suchas steel, as shown in FIG. 4. At this point, the top surface 33 of thehead 32 is smooth. The facets 34 are then formed in the top surface 33of the head 32, as shown in FIG. 3. The facets 34 create a reflectivemirrored surface. Once the facets 34 are formed, the diamond 7 is placedinto the through-hole 46 where it comes to rest against the supportshelf 48. As the diamond 7 sits on the support shelf 48, the diamond 7is permanently sealed in position by a brandishing process whereby metalat the top surface 33 about the through-hole 46 is positioned about thegirdle of the diamond 7. It should be noted that any conventionalprocess can be utilized to affix the diamond 7 to the male rivet portion30.

After the diamond 7 is fixed to the male rivet portion 30, the malerivet portion 30 is inserted in the opening 12 of the garment 10 fromthe outside of the garment 10, as shown in FIG. 6. The opening 12 has ahigh tolerance so that it is only slightly larger than the shaft 38 ofthe male rivet portion 30. By having the distal end 44 of the shaft 38beveled, the shaft 38 can be more easily inserted into the garmentopening 12. However, the shaft 38 and the opening 12 are sized andconfigured so that the shaft 38 must be forced into the opening 12. Thisensures a tight fit between the shaft 38 and the opening 12, whichhinders tearing or ripping of the garment 12. In addition, the garment10 fabric can be reinforced around the opening 12 such as by using astrong threading or by sewing additional material about the opening 12.This further precludes tearing or ripping of the garment 10 which mightotherwise result in the fastener 20 coming free of the garment 10.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the male rivet head 32 is smaller (i.e.,diameter) than the female rivet 60. Accordingly, at least a portion ofthe flat underside of the wide male rivet head 32 overlaps with the flatledge 72 of the female rivet 60. The proximal end of the shaft 38 canoptionally have an angled section 39 to match the angle of the tabs 74,so that there is also a uniform pressure on the garment 10. It is notedthat each of the diamond pavilion, the beveled support shelf 48, theangled section 39, and the tabs 74 can all be substantially set at thesame angle so that they extend in planes that are substantially parallelto one another. However, not all of those elements need to be at thesame angle, and one or more of them can be set at different angles toeach other.

Once the shaft 38 of the male rivet portion 30 is positioned in theopening 12 of the garment 10, the female rivet portion 60 is positionedover the distal end 44 of the male rivet portion 30 at the inside of thegarment 10. The narrowed leading end 43 of the shaft 38 is aligned withthe central opening 78 of the female rivet portion 60. Since the leadingend 43 of the shaft 38 is narrowed, that end 43 fits just inside thefemale rivet opening 78. In addition, since the tabs 74 are angleddownwardly (away from the male rivet 30), the tabs 74 guide the narrowedend 43 toward the female opening 78.

Once the shaft 38 is aligned with the opening 78, the male rivet portion30 and the female rivet portion 60 are then forced together. This can beaccomplished manually or by use of a compression tool that has opposingcurved ends that conform with the shape of the top surface of the head32 of the male rivet portion 30 and with the curved surface of the outersurface 64 of the female housing 62. As the male rivet portion 30 ispressed into the female rivet portion 60, the beveled distal end 44forces the tabs 74 apart (i.e., outward away from the center of thehousing 62) just slightly. Once the mating ledge 42 passes the matingfaces 76, the tabs 74 snap back inward (i.e., toward the center of thehousing 62) toward the shaft 38 due to their inward bias of the metal.The tabs 74 can also press against the shaft 38. In this position, themating faces 76 of the tabs 74 come into a locking relationship with themating ledge 42. The mating faces 76 can press against the mating ledge42. In this manner, the mating faces 76 cooperate with the mating ledge42 to prevent the shaft 38 from being withdrawn from the female rivetportion 60.

Thus, the male rivet portion 30, as well as the gem 7, is permanentlyand unremovably affixed to the female rivet portion 60. This provides asturdy and reliable connection between the male rivet 30, the gem 7, andthe female rivet 60. Once in the locked position, the mating faces 76are unable to pass by the mating ledge 42 since the tabs 74 cannot beseparated outwardly. This permanent locking is important to prevent thefastener 20 from coming free of the garment 10. It is especiallyimportant where the fastener 20 is used on an item that is subject torough usage, such as a clothing garment 10 that is continually worn andwashed, and particularly where the fastener 20 also retains an expensiveitem like a diamond 7. The male rivet 30 cannot be readily separatedfrom the female rivet 60 without potentially damaging the garment 10,the rivets 30, 60 and/or the gem 7. Of course, the gem 7 can be removedfrom the male rivet 30 by a jeweler using specialized tools (and perhapsfashioned into other jewelry or reused in a new garment 7); though thegem 7 cannot be manually removed from the male rivet 30.

Accordingly, the housing 62 of the female rivet portion 60 that isvisible and contacts the wearer is smooth so that the fastener 20 isattractive, comfortable to wear and does not scratch or otherwise injurethe wearer. The female rivet 60 has a button-like and ergonomic shapethat is non-obtrusive. The inner side 66 faces and engages with the malerivet portion 30; while the outer side 64 faces away from the male rivetportion 30 and the garment 10, and faces toward the wearer.

It is noted that the facets 34 are formed before the diamond 7 isaffixed to the male rivet portion 30. The brandishing of the diamond 7to the male rivet portion 30 does not affect or otherwise compromise thefacets 34. In addition, the facets 34 are formed and the diamond 7 iscoupled to the male rivet portion 30, before the male rivet portion 30is coupled with the female rivet portion 60. The connection of the malerivet portion 30 to the female rivet portion 60 does not affect orcompromise the facets 34 or the integrity of the coupling between thediamond 7 and the male rivet portion 30. However, any suitablemanufacturing process can be utilized, such as connecting the male rivetportion 30 to the female rivet portion 60, then coupling the diamond 7to the male rivet portion 30, then forming the facets 34.

It is further noted that the male rivet 30 and the female rivet 60(including the insert 70) are preferably formed of a hard metal, such assteel. It should be noted, however, that a soft metal can be used(particularly for the male rivet 30), such as brass or aluminum. Inaddition, the facets 34 can be cut in the top surface of the fastenerhead 32 such as for a harder metal. Or, the mirrored surface can beplated to the top surface of the fastener head 32 by a plating processsuch as for a softer metal. Still further, while the female rivet 60 hasbeen described as being two pieces, it can be a single unitary piecewhereby the rounded outer side 64 forms a curved integral shape with theinner side 66, the ledge 72 and the tabs 74.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the diamond 7 can beabout 0.15 carats, the male rivet head 32 can have a diameter of about0.9 cm, the through-hole 46 can have a diameter of about 3 mm, and theshaft 38 can have an outer diameter of about 4 mm. Of course, theinvention can be configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is notintended to be limited by the preferred embodiment. Much larger orsmaller diamonds 7 can be utilized, and the size of the male stud head32 can be larger or smaller.

As discussed above in accordance with the preferred embodiment, theinvention has both male and female rivet portions 30, 60. However, thefastener 20 need not have both male and female rivet portions 30, 60.Rather, for instance, the fastener 20 can only have a male rivet with asolid shaft that is inserted into the garment 10. The distal end of theshaft can then be deformed to form a permanent connection between themale rivet and the garment 10. In addition, an opening can be partiallyformed (e.g., drilled) in the center of the top of the male rivet andbeveled to permanently receive the diamond, as above. A smooth domed capor cover can preferably be connected to or otherwise engaged with (suchas by mating features on the cover and shaft, adhesive, etc.) thedeformed distal end of the male rivet (either during or after the malerivet is deformed) so that the cover is comfortable to wear and toprevent the male rivet from injuring the wearer.

The foregoing description and drawings should be considered asillustrative only of the principles of the invention. Numerousapplications of the invention will readily occur to those skilled in theart. Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the specificexamples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may beresorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

1. A combined garment, gemstone and fastener, said combinationcomprising: a male rivet having a wide head and an elongated shaftextending substantially orthogonally to the wide head, said shaft havinga beveled distal end with a widened mating ledge, wherein said beveleddistal end is angled inwardly from said widened mating ledge to form anarrow leading end of said shaft, said male rivet further having athrough-hole extending at least partially through said head, saidthrough-hole having an angled support shelf at a top end of said head; agemstone received in said through-hole at the support shelf andpermanently coupled thereto; a female rivet having a smooth domed outerside and an inner side having inwardly-facing tab portions defining acentral opening; and a garment having an inside, an outside, and areinforced opening configured to receive said shaft of said male rivetfrom the garment outside to mate with said female rivet at the garmentinside, said shaft received in the central opening of said female rivetwhereby the widened mating ledge of said male rivet engages the tabportions of said female rivet to permanently and unremovably lock saidmale rivet to said female rivet and said garment.
 2. The combinedgarment, gemstone and fastener of claim 1, wherein said garment has areinforced portion about the opening.
 3. The combined garment, gemstoneand fastener of claim 1, wherein said garment has an elastic waistbandand said opening is positioned at said elastic waistband.
 4. Thecombined garment, gemstone and fastener of claim 1, wherein said smoothdomed outer side of said female rivet contacts the wearer during use. 5.The combined garment, gemstone and fastener of claim 1, wherein saidgemstone comprises a diamond.
 6. The combined garment, gemstone andfastener of claim 1, wherein said male rivet head has a top surface andfurther comprising facets formed in said top surface of said male rivethead.
 7. The combined garment, gemstone and fastener of claim 1, whereinsaid male rivet head is circular.
 8. The combined garment, gemstone andfastener of claim 1, wherein said male rivet shaft is cylindrical. 9.The combined garment, gemstone and fastener of claim 1, wherein saidtabs flex outwardly as the male rivet shaft is received in the centralopening of the female rivet.
 10. The combined garment, gemstone andfastener of claim 1, wherein said tabs do not separate outward oncelocked against the mating ledge of said male rivet.
 11. The combinedgarment, gemstone and fastener of claim 1, further comprising a slotsformed between the tabs.
 12. The combined garment, gemstone and fastenerof claim 1, wherein said female rivet comprises a housing comprisingsaid smooth domed outer side, and an insert received by said housing,said insert forming the tab portions.
 13. A combined garment andfastener, the combination comprising: a male rivet having a wide headand an elongated shaft extending substantially orthogonally to the widehead, said male rivet further having a hole extending at least partiallythrough said head and forming an angled support shelf at a top end ofsaid head, said hole and support shelf configured to receive a gemstone;a female rivet having a smooth domed outer side and an inner side havinginwardly-facing tab portions defining a central opening; and a garmenthaving an inside, an outside, and a reinforced opening configured toreceive said shaft of said male rivet from the garment outside, saidshaft received in the central opening of said female rivet whereby thewidened mating ledge of said male rivet engages the tab portions of saidfemale rivet to permanently lock said male rivet to said female rivetand said garment.
 14. A method for permanently securing a gemstone to agarment, said method comprising: providing a male rivet having a widehead, an elongated shaft extending substantially orthogonally to thewide head, and a hole extending at least partially through said head;permanently affixing a gemstone to the male rivet at the hole; providinga female rivet having a smooth domed outer side and an inner side;providing a garment having an inside, an outside, and a reinforcedopening; placing the elongated shaft of the male rivet through thegarment opening at the outer side of the garment and into the inner sideof the female rivet at the inside of the garment; and permanentlycoupling the male rivet to the inner side of the female rivet topermanently lock the male rivet and the gemstone to the female rivet andthe garment.
 15. A combined garment and fastener, the combinationcomprising: a male rivet having a wide head and an elongated shaftextending substantially orthogonally to the wide head, said male rivetfurther having a hole extending at least partially through said head,said hole configured to receive a gemstone, said shaft further having adistal end; and a garment having an inside, an outside, and a reinforcedopening configured to receive said shaft of said male rivet from thegarment outside, said distal end configured to be deformed topermanently lock said male rivet to said garment.
 16. The combinedgarment and fastener of claim 15, further comprising a cover engagedwith the deformed distal end of said shaft, said cover comprising asmooth domed outer surface.